Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books

“The Art of Crochet” is a generic title that could refer to any number of how-to books on crocheting. In the context of this chapter, it refers to the stories of two individuals who find their lives interwoven by the common cause of bringing Lula down.

Jonathan Bartlett is a high school history teacher who holds a grudge against Lula. She was responsible for getting his best friend fired. High school musical director Elliot Minter was seen kissing a man outside an Atlanta gay bar. Lula sent an anonymous tip to the Troy High School principal with incriminating photos, and Elliot was branded a pedophile. After being harassed by all the town’s parents, he resigned at the end of the school year. Even though Elliot went on to make a life for himself elsewhere, Jonathan feels that Lula stole something from Elliot: “His peace of mind, his sense of safety, his belief that most people were good at heart” (222).

Still fuming, Jonathan leaves at the end of the school day and takes a walk to clear his head. As he passes the elementary school, he collides with a woman rushing out. The person is Crystal Moore, who read a book on witchcraft in the woods and divorced her husband because of it.